


I'm Running And I'm Breathless, But I Have To Go On, Cause I'm Running To You

by Velocity_Owl87



Series: Qui Gon's Parallel Life [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Childbirth, Discussion of Abortion, F/M, Female Qui Gon Jinn, Forbidden Love, Gen, Hopeful Ending, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Injury, Introspection, Male-Female Friendship, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, QuiObi Week 2017, Rape Aftermath, Recovery, Rule 63, Sith, Sith Shenanigans, Trauma, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 01:14:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11346918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Velocity_Owl87/pseuds/Velocity_Owl87
Summary: Rather than kill Qui Gon, Darth Maul grabs her for unknown reasons, leaving Obi Wan to pick up the pieces and to find her.He does, only to discover that Count Dooku has abducted her in an effort to fulfill a perversion of the Jedi prophecy.Now back at the temple, they now have to face a myriad of issues: An unwanted and unplanned pregnancy, trauma, their place in the Order, Anakin Skywalker and his training, and their own growing attachment to each other.Something that neither of them is quite sure exactly how that will be achieved.





	I'm Running And I'm Breathless, But I Have To Go On, Cause I'm Running To You

**Author's Note:**

> First time foray into this fandom. I honestly have no idea how I got ensnared by this pairing, but I felt inspired to write about them. It's a pretty rough subject and I wanted to explore how someone who is deeply connected to the living force would deal with such a decision. It also was written due to my curiosity as to how the order would theoretically handle these sorts of situations with their female Jedi.
> 
> I also do play a whole lot with genderswap and noticed that there wasn't much with Qui Gon being female. The fancast I have in mind for female Qui Gon is Maria Doyle Kennedy. In this, Qui Gon is from a humanoid subspecies that is longer lived, hence it would be possible for her to get pregnant. 
> 
> It has been edited and I did do my background research into the fandom, but if there are any mistakes, they are my own. 
> 
> Title is from "I'm Running" By Misstress Barbara

Obi Wan forced himself to face the council as a proper Jedi. As a credit to Master Jinn. She would have wanted him to be composed and detached about the situation. He was sure that she’d do the same if their situations were reversed. He’d make her proud.

So he took a deep breath and went inside with a clear mind and a cool head.

The rest would take care of itself.

Obi-Wan greeted the council and forced himself to not look at Master Yoda or Master Windu in case he lost the tenuous grip he had on his emotions and composure. They would have been able to see through the thin veneer all too well and he wasn’t ready for that just yet. They had business to take care of at the moment and that was what he needed to focus on.

He would think on his Master in private.

It was Knight Kenobi that stood in front of the council and forced himself to remain calm and impassive in front of the council as he waited to make his report and to wait the deliberation that would no doubt follow. Anakin was safely in the creche with Shmi while Padme was busy with her duties as Queen.

He was alone and the knowledge of it weighed heavily upon him.

Despite the mission being a success, the crippling feeling of failure overwhelmed anything else that he would have been feeling at that moment.

 _She_ was gone. Master Qui Gon Jinn was lost to him. To them all.

“We have heard your report and congratulate you on the success of your mission. A mission that will serve as your trials, which you have passed with flying colours. Congratulations, Knight Kenobi.”

Master Windu intoned with his usual careful cadences, making Obi-Wan incline his head respectfully at his words.

“I accept both your ruling and the congratulations with much gratitude.”

He replied, the courtly training that Qui Gon had drilled mercilessly into his head taking over and making him smile at the irony of it  He had hated those lessons, long and tedious for both of them, yet they were the one thing that was saving him at that moment.

He was sure that his master would be highly amused when he told her. No doubt her dark blue eyes would get darker and that close lipped smile would come out in full force. She wasn’t beautiful, but she was striking and it was all he could do to not give into the sharp pang of grief thinking of her brought him again.

Master Windu nodded before he cast a glance at Master Yoda, who had remained quiet during the exchange. Plo Koon had shifted in his seat and looked at Obi-Wan apologetically. Or so it seemed.

“Questions have we.”

Master Yoda’s gravelly voice broke the silence that had fallen in the council room. Obi Wan inclined his head again to show that he was expecting it and waited for his Master’s Grandmaster to ask them.

“Die Master Jinn did?”

Obi Wan flinched at the bluntness of the question, but didn’t react to it.

He had understood before that it was going to be asked. After all, he never went anywhere without his master and to have him stand there alone in front of the council after a mission was bound to raise questions.

He pressed his lips tightly as he prepared the words to explain what exactly had happened.

_-Obi-Wan never knew exactly how he got there in time to jump in the middle of the battle between his master and the black tattooed warrior that was fleeing from them both. He only knew that he had to get to her before things went to Sith damned hell._

_Despite the hurt and the resentment and anger...Force, the anger…He had to save her._

_He didn’t stop to examine that last train of thought, filing it away for later. He hadn’t ever felt that way about his master before. She had, after all, proven time and time again that she was quite capable of taking care of herself._

_Yet this time, the whispers from the Force were quite insistent that he do everything in his power to get to her and keep her from-He cut that thought off and immersed himself in the moment._

_Obi-Wan knew he was going to need all of his wits about him if he was going to do what the force was telling him to do loudly and clearly rather than the quiet whispers he had been hearing ever since they had spotted the Zabrak and had chased after him into the power plant._

_He saw his master get ahead despite the fact that her Force signature was flickering and fading at times with exhaustion. She was pushing herself, but even as strong and as long lived as her subspecies was, she did have limits._

_And she was reaching them faster than she was able to push the Zabrak into a position that would give her the advantage in the fight. As it was, she had been injured: She was favouring her left side somewhat and despite the mulish determination, it wasn’t going to save her. Already, the Zabrak was pushing his advantage and forcing her back._

_She got a lucky hit against the back of his right knee and that was when Obi-Wan took his chance and pressed his advantage._

_He attacked, adding his own quick parries and hits to his Master’s own._

_Yet it wasn’t enough._

_He saw a flicker in the Zabrak’s eyes right before he took action._

_He pushed the injury to his leg to the side and went for brute force, smashing Qui Gon and knocking her down hard on her left side. She was stunned, Obi Wan could feel it through their bond. But she still fought to get up. It was for nothing, since the Zabrak slammed his fist down on the back of her head and she was still._

_He turned to Obi Wan and smiled, those sharp teeth brutal and feral as he reached out for the force, the dark side of it and struck._

_All he knew was that one moment he was standing his ground close to his wounded Master and the next, he was waking up to Padme and Anakin’s concerned gazes._

_He looked around and saw that apart from several scorch marks on the ground and scattered drops of blood being the only thing to show that his master and the Zabrak were there._

_He didn’t have to look at Padme or Anakin to know that Master Qui Gon Jinn was gone along with their attacker._

_The one cold comfort he had was that their bond was still there: Weak, faint and only a thread of what it had been, but it was still there._

_She was still alive._

_Somewhere._

~*~*~*~*~

Qui Gon jolted awake and tried her best to slow her rapidly beating heart as she looked around the room. It wasn’t her bedroom in her temple quarters, that was for certain.

It was dull durasteel and dim lights and it hadn’t changed since she had been locked up in it.

The bed that she lay on, although comfortable, was not her usual sleeping couch with its neutral toned bedsheets and the soft scent of the laundry soap used in the temple. This bed smelled antiseptic and musty, as if it had only just been pressed into service. The room too, was close and not aired out recently. The small windows were open only just a fraction and she was willing to bet that they were covered with durasteel mesh that would stop any escape attempts that she’d think of trying.

She gave a soft gasp as the knowledge of her abduction slammed into her yet again: The Zabrak’s eyes changing at the last second, the use of the force to knock her and her padawan out, and then waking up in this small room without her lightsaber and most of her clothes.  

Despite her aching head and side, she had been relieved that it had only been her in the room. Obi Wan didn't deserve what would come next. He had already seen enough horrors to last a lifetime. He also didn't need to sacrifice himself for her again.

She couldn't allow it.

He was far too precious to simply be cast away as an extraneous piece in a long struggle. She had seen that as she had made her case to the council. She had also realised in a split second of honesty and regret that she should have let him take his trials. He had been ready for his trials and part of her had kept him at her side in an attempt to atone.

She probably would have still kept him with her, but she had seen exactly how ready he had been during that fight.

He had made the difference and had forced the Zabrak back. If things had been different, Qui Gon was sure that Obi Wan would have killed the Zabrak.

Qui Gon couldn’t deny it any longer. Nor could she deny that it was purely for selfish reasons and another one that she refused to think on. She should have...She should have done quite a few things, but there was no point in dwelling on those regrets at this exact moment. She was as helpless as a lothcat and unable to help herself as it was.

A wave of despair rushed over her, something that she hadn’t experienced in a long time. She tried to not let herself overwhelmed by the feeling, but after all that she had undergone through in the time she had been captive...

She closed her eyes and slowly pulled her legs closer to herself to seek some kind of comfort.

It didn’t work as well as she had hoped. The covers were only just adequate. What she wore, was not. She was only clad in a thin shift that could only just be called a robe. It barely covered her thighs and left her feeling even more vulnerable than if she had just been left naked.

Maybe that was another way of torturing her, stripping her of her dignity little by little while they physically humiliated her on top of that.

She was still sore from the administrations of the day before, the throbbing ache dulling to a deep pain that felt like it would be there to stay. Her hips felt loose and awkward and made moving difficult. She didn’t let herself look at the deep blue and black bruises on her bare thighs. Or on the ones on her hips and wrists.

They had at least let her clean up, so she didn’t have _that_ to deal with at least.

She forced herself to drift away from the memories she didn’t trust herself to touch just yet. She needed to stay calm in order to plan her next move and going into histrionics wasn’t going to be conducive to figuring out a strategy.

Especially when she knew that she was mostly cut off from the force due to the collar they had slapped on her the moment that she had come to. It had weakened her severely, letting her only access a small fraction of the Force that she had been used to being surrounded and immersed into. It had also served to help them ambush her, Qui Gon mused.

If she had been in control of her full faculties, they wouldn’t have been able to overpower her so easily. To hold her down and part her legs roughly before they used her like some common whore, over and over again until she felt numb from their abuse. To leave their marks all over her and laugh at the suppressed shudders their touches caused within her.

Qui Gon clenched her eyes shut even tighter at the memory of their laughter. She had tried to be impassive and detached from the events that were happening around her. She couldn’t muster up enough of the Force to fully do so. They had always managed to find a way to bring her back to the horrors that they were inflicting upon her. They enjoyed seeing her reactions.

A Jedi Master brought down low was satisfying. Just like watching her getting closer to her personal breaking point.

The Zabrak was impersonal about it as he ravaged her body. He only enjoyed it when he saw the products of his handiworks on her body. He never spoke to her and she had to wonder if he actually _could_.

Still, she preferred his administrations to the alternative.

The door of her cell opened and she forced herself to sit up and push all of her reservations behind the few shields she had left. She needed to present a blank front if it was the one being whose arrival she was dreading with all of her heart.

“Good Morning, Padawan mine.”

She cringed at the sound of that voice. The power it held and the power that it held over _her._ She hadn’t seen him in years, but that bond still twinged between them. A bond that he had recently figured out how to reinstate and use for his own ends.

She inhaled sharply as Darth Tyranus entered the room and stood only a few feet away from her. He didn’t have to do that, but he still did it as a show as to who was truly in charge there.

Still, she wouldn’t be cowed. Barring that small reaction, she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

He smiled at her, his eyes flaring bright for a moment before going back to their usual deep brown. It was a glacial smile that he gave her, but she wasn’t going to look away or back down from him. He had trained her, but he hadn’t been any sort of authority figure to her in years.

That was the only thing that made defiance an option in the face of the power imbalance between them.

There was a small flare up of irritation from him and the mockery of a pleasant expression disappeared.

“I thought I trained you better than that, Qui Gon.”

At the sound of her name on his lips, Qui Gon snarled.

The response was immediate, with him using the force to grab her neck and lift her from the bed.

“You will show me more respect than that, Padawan mine. I may have need of your charms and biology, but I can easily find that in that Noorian you were friends with also. Would you like that, Qui Gon?”

She struggled and he tightened his grip on around her throat.

“Or would you like me taking that clever padawan of yours and train him up instead? Which one do you want to take your place?”

Her eyes widened and despite fighting against being choked, she shook her head. Those were the last things in the galaxy that she wanted to happen. She and Darth Tyranus had a past and while Qui Gon could count on some kind of mercy from him, Tahl wouldn’t be so lucky.

Neither would Obi Wan.

Despite being the man’s grandpadawan, they hadn’t really been close. Nor had Obi Wan spent time being trained under him. Qui Gon was all too painfully aware that his training methods would break her padawan, twisting him into something hideous and malevolent.

She couldn’t allow it to ever happen. Even if she had failed him in the past, she wouldn’t fail him now.

He dropped her onto the bed and closed the door behind her with a wave of his hand. His cloak pooled onto the floor and she only had enough time to catch her breath and rub at her bruised throat before he was upon her.

~*~*~*~*~*

Obi-Wan picked up the kettle and poured the water into the waiting teapot that was sitting on the counter. He put the empty kettle on an unused heating element to cool before pulling out cups before he froze in mid-action.

He had forgotten yet again that his Master was gone. It would only be him drinking the tea. He struggled with the knowledge that she was out there, undergoing lord knew what, while he worked to find her. On top of trying to help the order in their efforts to keep the Senate and the Republic from falling apart.

Not to mention keeping an eye on Anakin, who had been placed in the creche until further notice. Shmi Skywalker had been freed and given a position in the creche as well, giving everyone a bit of breathing room for the time being. He was happy enough with his mother close, the lessons he needed to catch up, and Obi Wan’s frequent visits.

The question of who would be his Master had been tactfully put on hold. Qui Gon had expressed hope that she would be the one to train Anakin, but now that she was missing, the question hadn't been brought up by the council again. They weren't convinced just yet that Anakin was Jedi material and had instead decided to concentrate on his education until the crisis with Master Jinn had passed and the issue would be revisited again.

It was a holding pattern that Obi Wan hoped wouldn’t last too long. He had hope that his Master would be found soon. And found alive.

He bit his lip as the thought crossed his mind. He could feel her through their bond, though.

It was a faint and weak thread, sometimes dulled down to a soft shimmer. Or sometimes burning sharp and bright enough to make him wince in pain, but always there. It was the last thing that he checked before sleeping and the first thing he checked when he was awake.

That was the one thing that kept him going. Kept him from giving up hope that his Master was lost forever.

She was still there. Still alive and still fighting whoever it was that was holding her hostage.

_But for what end?_

The Zabrak had been hell bent on killing them. That had been painfully obvious from all of the attacks that they had endured during their mission on Tatooine and later Naboo. So why the change of plans at the last moment? Had he gotten some orders at the last moment and had decided to spare her and take her to his master?

And could that putative master be the Sith that Qui Gon had mused about before she had been taken? Had the Sith really come back? And what did they want with Master Jinn?

Obi Wan frowned at the barrage of questions that were flooding his mind. He had mulled them over silently and with the council and with Master Tahl and Master Nu, hoping that they would be able to give him some insight. So far, there had been very little that could be useful.

He sighed and moved to put the second cup away when his comm chirped at him.

He answered it and was surprised and pleased to find that it was Master Tahl on the other end.

“Obi Wan? I do apologise for interrupting you this morning. I believe we have found something that could help in locating Qui Gon.”

His mouth went dry at her comment.

“You’re not interrupting at all, Master Tahl. These are welcome news indeed. Should I go to the archives?”

He asked her.

“No need. I’m on my way to your quarters. I’ll be there in a few moments.”

Obi Wan put the cup down at that.

“Very well. I shall see you soon, Master Tahl.”

They exchanged goodbyes and Obi Wan filled both cups with the fragrant tea that he belatedly realised was one of Master Jinn’s favourite blends. He pushed his nostalgia away at the thought and focused on the present. He knew he was treading a dangerous line with how much time he spent thinking of her. How much he missed her and how much time he devoted in looking for her.

He picked up one of the cups and blew softly across it before taking a tentative sip as he mulled over the nature of his attachment to Qui Gon Jinn. He loved her, he was clear on that. But what kind of love was what he hadn’t figured out just yet. That being another thing he needed to figure out before she got back.

Obi Wan knew that he had more than a padawan’s attachment to her, or else he wouldn’t have been so hurt over her wanting to take over Anakin’s training. She had known it. He hadn’t been able to hide that from her. She had wanted to reassure him, but the mission had gotten in the way. They thought they had time to set it all right.

They should have had that time. Except the Force-damned Siths had stepped in and made all of their plans and intentions go straight to kriff. And now he was left struggling with his feelings towards her and with an initiate in limbo.

He put his cup down and sighed as he rubbed his forehead.

Obi Wan knew what the right course of action to take was. He would meditate on his feelings for Master Jinn and release them to the force. Things would go on as usual and he would go on missions or take a padawan himself while his Master trained up Anakin in his place. They would talk about Master Jinn’s absence and things would carry on as before. No harm and no foul.

Except that no matter how long he meditated, he wouldn’t be able to release those feelings to the Force. Not when deep down, he knew he couldn’t bring himself to.

He loved her. He was all too aware of that fact. Had loved her since he was seventeen and realising that the padawan crush he and his cohort were hit with hadn’t passed and had instead grown into love for his unpredictable and unconventional Master. A love he had successfully kept hidden from everyone, including himself.

“Oh, Little Gods.”

He breathed out, gracelessly plunking down his cup onto the counter at the same time that Tahl rang the comm to his quarters.

He didn’t stop to clean up the sloshed tea and moved to open the door, revealing the Noorian woman that had been his Master’s contemporary in the creche and training. He knew that they were still close and he was sure that if the circumstances had been different, there would have been more than friendship between them.

He didn’t pause to think about that, since she was holding several datapads and a couple of honest to goodness flimsi books.

“Good Evening Master Tahl. Let me help you with those. I have tea made. Too much for one person, so I guess it is fortuitous that you arrived tonight.”

Master Tahl surrendered some of her load and laughed softly at the comment as she followed Obi Wan into the kitchen area and sat down at the small table.

“Charming as ever, Knight Kenobi, even though I’m willing to bet that’s not quite the case. A cup of tea wouldn’t be amiss though and I thank you for it.”

It was Obi Wan’s turn to laugh as he carefully set the books and datapads down before going to the cups he had poured not even a minute ago. He wiped up the mess he had made and handed over a perfectly poured cup to Master Tahl before taking his own and sitting across from her.

She gave a delicate sniff at the tea before taking a sip, her eyes widening in pleasure.

“Qui Gon’s blend, isn’t it? I’d recognise that anywhere in the galaxy.”

Her expression changed when she noticed the shift in the force coming from Obi Wan.

“We will find her, Obi Wan. I know it looks bleak at this moment, but it can be done.”

She comforted him, her voice uncharacteristically soft as she spoke.

Obi Wan nodded, despite knowing that she couldn’t see him. He forced himself to control his swirling emotions before he replied to Master Tahl. It wouldn’t do to show too much attachment to his Master. Even if Master Tahl may have had a similar attachment, he simply couldn’t.

“I do hope so. Even if it has been several cycles that she has been missing. You can’t deny that it doesn’t look promising.”

Master Tahl pursed her lips and put her cup down.

“I won’t deny that. But this _is_ Qui Gon that we are talking about. That woman has more than her share of Sith damned luck. If anyone can make it out of this situation, my credits would be on her.”

Obi Wan smiled faintly at that, since it was all true. Master Jinn had pulled out of so many different scrapes that it was hard to believe that she wouldn’t come walking back into the Temple a little worse for the wear and ask what was for dinner.

As if in response, their bond pulsed twice and he could again locate her signature. A bright spot in the back of his mind, this time. Always a bright green, but now he could see there was a thread of blue woven through it. Faint, but still there.

A thread that he was sure hadn’t been there before.

“Knight Kenobi?”

He snapped back to the present and to Master Tahl and tried to focus on what she was saying, burying that puzzling piece of information for a later meditation.

He knew he hadn’t succeeded when he saw the look on Master Tahl’s face.

“What did you see?”

He hesitated in telling her, but the glint in her eyes as she stood up and faced him made him change his mind.

“I am a Jedi first, just like you. But if this can help us locate her...It’s better that you share what you saw.”

Obi Wan swallowed back his reservations.

“Our training bond is still there. Faint, but still there. That’s how I know she’s still alive. But through it, I saw that her signature changed just now. There’s a thread of blue in there. Like a-a-a nascent bond of sorts.”

Master Tahl inhaled sharply at that and grabbed not one of the datapads, but one of the flimsi books and started to flip through it while Obi Wan watched her, the Force humming at him, giving its approval of his actions. He waited until she found the section she was looking for and pushed the book towards him.

He picked it up with cold hands and read the section.

He only barely managed to not vomit once he had finished reading it, pushing the book away from himself when he did.

Master Tahl sighed heavily and rubbed her forehead as she took the book back and shut it.

~*~*~*~*~

Qui Gon fiddled with the collar again, jamming the small piece of metal into the connectors and hoping that maybe this time, she’d be able to break it open enough to get more than the small trickle of Force awareness that it had been allowing her. She had scrounged from one of the medical droids that had been coming frequently after she had started to feel nauseous and her breasts had started to ache to the point that she had fought _him_ off.

He hadn’t retaliated when that had happened and actually left her alone.

He had sent the droids in after that to check her over, his suspicions proved correct once they had done move invasive testing that had left Qui Gon feeling as violated as if Tyranus and Maul had touched her yet again.

“It had to be done, mine padawan. I have to make sure that it has happened.”

Darth Tyranus had explained, his tone one he would use for a particularly slow child.

She hadn’t bothered to glare at him then, only looked at him dully, knowing full well what he meant.

“After all, I’m sure that you’d rather not go through the actions to cause it again, do you?”

She had looked down at her lap them, forcing herself to not let him see how much his taunt had cut her to the core.

Of course they had known her revulsion and disgust at being touched by both of them. But mostly him now. Maul had been sent off after a particularly vicious coupling. It had been bad enough that she was unable to use the fresher without moaning and passing blood. She hadn’t tried to hide it after that first fortnight she had been in their grasp. Especially not after that time. Nor had she been as passive as she had been then either. No.

She had fought back until Tyranus had threatened to not just use the Force to hold her immobile, but remove her limbs.

“After all, it’s not like you need them for the task that I require of you.”

He had said it as softly and calmly as if he was discussing the weather. She knew that tone. She had learned the hard way during her padawan days that he never said anything that he didn’t mean.

He had broken her arm as a warning and she had finally stopped fighting back.

She hadn’t stopped schooling her expression whenever they had climbed into her bed and raped her, over and over again until they had finally gotten the product that they had kidnapped her for.

And it was then that she knew she had to snap out of her apathy and find a way out of Tyranus and Maul’s grasp.

She had sharpened her skills then, using the bit of the Force that she had to put the pieces together to know that she was on Geonosia.

She had started to gather materials to either break the collar open or to at least damage it enough to use the force to get out of the room that had been her prison for so long. She had to time it just right if she was going to get away from Tyranus.

So this was her only chance.

She snapped the controls and felt more of the Force pour into her.

Enough to feel Obi Wan through their still unsevered training bond.

She could feel his shock and surprise and his... _love_ for her. It was only a brief moment before she felt it be hidden from her.

_“Master! Where are you?”_

_“Geonosia! Listen, Obi Wan, Count Dooku has fallen and I am a prisoner! I am-”_

The backlash was abrupt and painful, making her pass out for a few minutes before she saw Tyranus looming over her. His aristocratic face was contorted in a snarl and Qui Gon, for a split second, felt fear of her former Master.

“Count yourself lucky that you have fulfilled your duty, or I would have killed you. As it is, I cannot let this go unpunished.”

He moved his hand and Qui Gon heard the cracks of her fibulae and tibiae being broken and the pain blotted out anything else.

When Qui Gon came to again, she was lying in a bigger, softer bed. Her legs were bandaged and braced from broken ankle to broken thigh and resting on pillows.

She looked around and knew instantly she had been removed elsewhere. The room was less a prison and more of a guest chamber, richly decorated and comfortable. Books lined the walls and datapads also. A large screen dominated one wall and a door led to what looked like to be a fresher with a large and luxurious tub. But to where, she could only guess.

The collar was back and modified, since she only had a whisper of the Force surrounding her, making her feel even more crippled and helpless than she already was.

There was no way that she’d be escaping now.

She forced herself to not fall into deeper despair and instead, focus on that shadowy afterimage of her bond with her padawan and hope that he’d know where to find her.

Before it was too late.

~*~*~*~*~

Obi Wan had just enough presence of mind to not hurl the small droid left behind in the ruins of Geonosia.

Once again, it had been too late and Qui Gon was yet again out of his reach. Her signature was extremely faint, barely even there and he knew that Dooku had punished her for that seconds long connection to the force. No doubt he had hidden her somewhere out of the reach of the Jedi. Of course he would have, since he needed her alive for his plans to come to fruition.

“We will find her, Kenobi.”

Quinlan assured him, clipping his ‘saber to her belt once he had come back from securing the perimeter.

“I know, Quint. But what if we don’t? We don’t have time to spare.”

Quinlan mouth tightened into a thin line. He was aware of the urgency to free Qui Gon Jinn from Count Dooku’s clutches. They all were aware of that lost bit of arcane lore that Count Dooku had found and had decided to bring forth by using Qui Gon Jinn to do so.

They were also aware of what Obi Wan had sensed about her: She was already pregnant and on her way to unwillingly play the part that Count Dooku had decided for her. Quinlan and Obi Wan were all too aware what would be her fate after and they were working against hope and the clock to make sure that Qui Gon Jinn wouldn’t simply be used as a broodmare until she could bear no more younglings. Or until Dooku or bearing them killed her.

He watched Obi Wan scrub his face with his hand before he looked at Quinlan.

“Did you find anything?”

Quinlan waggled his hand back and forth to show he had and he hadn’t, really.

“She was held here. In that small room we found, that is for certain. There is a faint trail in the hangar of blueprints, but nothing concrete that would give us a lead. I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.”

Obi Wan blew out a breath.

“Thank you all the same. Count Dooku knows how to cover his tracks all too well. We might as well head back to the temple and gather up more information on him. Surely he would have some bolt hole in the galaxy other than Geonosia.”

Quinlan’s eyes widened at that.

“What planet is he from?”

Obi Wan stroked his chin as he tried to pinpoint exactly which planet his grandmaster had hailed from. Surely she must have mentioned it at some point!

“Outer rim, I think. That was what I saw on a discarded datapad. Something lush.”

Obi Wan frowned.

“Definitely not Tatooine then.”

Obi Wan muttered as he pinpointed it down to-

“Serannos.”

~*~*~*~*~

Quinlan moved faster than Obi Wan and cut his way through the droids that had been assigned to heavily guard that particular wing of the compound.

Obi Wan didn’t follow, since he was still busy pushing back Count Dooku, who looked at him with glittering hatred as he fought back.

Obi Wan knew that he couldn’t possibly defeat his Grandmaster, but for Qui Gon, he would do his damned best to do so. He moved and parried with efficiency, but was pushed back by the excellent saber work of Count Dooku. If he wasn’t so busy keeping himself alive, he would admire the mastery of Dooku’s form.

As it was, he only just dodged a particularly close pass and pushed himself away. Dooku’s form was for close fighting and Obi Wan knew that he let him get too close, he’d be the one worse off. He was singed and he had nearly lost a hand and that was the last thing he needed if he was going to get through and find Qui Gon. That was the only reason why they were on Geonosia. They needed to find her.

He grit his teeth and forced himself to not buckle and to not lose control when Dooku attacked in a flurry of blows that were both elegant and deadly. Both men remained silent as they fought. Both were all too aware of what was at stake. Obi Wan pushed back again and went on the defensive, surprising Dooku enough to leave a small opening, which Obi Wan exploited.

Dooku moved, but still didn’t prevent the glancing blow of the laser on his right arm, making him give a sound of annoyance. It hurt, Obi Wan knew from experience and he pressed his advantage, pushing Dooku into defensive mode and not letting him get in any attacks. He was getting tired and this was going on for far longer than he had anticipated.

With one calculated attack, he put all of his energy and the Force behind it, managing to nearly sever Dooku’s right forearm.

Dooku used the force to save his arm, slamming Obi Wan against the wall to give himself enough time to escape. Even with Force-enhanced speed, he couldn’t catch the slippery kriffing bastard. Obi Wan watched Dooku’s ship go for a moment, shaking his head at the escape before running back to Quinlan to offer any aid he could.

It was then that the explosions started, making him duck at the scattered debris that flew as the compound shook. He suspected it was Dooku that had done it and rushed past the quickly crumbling edifice. Finding both Quinlan and Qui Gon had become a pressing necessity.

“Kenobi!”

Quinlan directed him to the same hall he had left him at, the droids dead and Quinlan struggling to get the only closed chamber door open.

“Here. This should do it.”

Obi Wan handed him a packet of mini-explosives, which Quinlan took and carefully placed it on the door panel and activated it.

“Stand back.”

They backed away a few feet, stumbling as yet another explosion ripped through the compound. A moment later, the doors had blown open and they stepped inside.

And found Qui Gon Jinn.

~*~*~*~*~

Qui Gon was nearly asleep, the datapad she had been half-skimming slipping out of her fingers when the explosion jolted her awake. She cried out in pain and moved to get out of bed, only to be stopped by the eye-watering pain moving her broken legs caused her.

She had to be overly careful to not jostle her legs overmuch and had forced herself to swallow her pride and accept the administrations of the med droids that Tyranus had at her beck and call. It had been a brutal a punishment as he could devise without slipping into outright torture.

He wouldn’t put her in bacta to heal the wounds, and cut off from the force as she was, she wasn’t able to put herself in a healing trance to deal with the worst of the breaks. She was also starting to get sick from the youngling she carried, making her even more miserable than she had been before.

She truly was his prisoner and as the time crawled past, she was starting to lose hope that she’d be found before Tyranus would reach his goals and start the cycle again, something he had hinted at as he had ever so gently combed out her tangled hair and braided it tightly against her head to keep it from getting overly tangled as she “convalesced”.

The explosions continued and she let the datapad drop as she pushed herself up to a full sitting position, thankful for the pillows behind her. If she was going to meet her death, she wasn’t going to do it lying on her back and reliving some of the worst cycles of her life. She had some pride and dignity left, despite everything.

She had just gotten into position and bemoaned the fact that all she had to fight was the datapad she had been skimming over when the doors to her chamber were blasted open to reveal a battle marked Quinlan Vos and…

“Obi Wan!”

His usually calm demeanour cracked when he saw her condition, but it didn’t stop him from coming to her side and clasping her hand tightly.

The simple touch made tears sting her eyes briefly before she forced herself to blink them back.

It had been the first time in a long time that she had been touched without ill intent and it broke something deep inside her. Something that they hadn’t been able to touch during all that time that they had kept her captive. It broke with his touch, with his Force signature enveloping her warmly and gently. She had missed this.

She shouldn’t have been surprised when she found the tears coming and Obi Wan’s arms wrapped tightly around her, yet she was.

~*~*~*~*~

It felt surreal to Obi Wan to be standing in front of the council again. Despite having done it many times since Qui Gon’s disappearance, it didn’t get any easier.

Especially not now, when he was more or less deciding the fate of his former Master.

Qui Gon herself was in the Halls of Healing, floating in a tank of Bacta to heal all of the injuries that marked her body and in no position to make her own decisions. As much as it had pained Obi Wan to admit it, even if she hadn’t been in physical distress, she wasn’t in any mental state to make any lucid decisions.

She had broken, he had realised that the moment that he had gathered her in his arms and she had cried soundlessly. She would need many sessions with the mind healers if she was going to be something approaching well and back in the field again. She had undergone a gruelling ordeal that would take time to get over.

Not to mention the fact that there was a youngling in the picture now.

And it was the existence of said youngling that made her fate a thorny issue.

“A youngling, Master Jinn carrying is?”

Master Yoda asked once the report of the successful rescue mission had been given. He and Quin had captured Maul, but Dooku had gotten away from them yet again. They had managed to unearth various clues as to what he could possibly be up to, but it was still vague enough for them to not gather as much intelligence as they had hoped.

As far as he was concerned, that was all peripheral. Qui Gon was the priority and they had found her and despite knowing the futility of the promise, he vowed he’d never leave her side again. He had become attached and despite it being a dismaying possibility, he didn’t wish it away or release it to the Force.

He simply accepted that it was there and focused on the present matter instead. He would deal with the situation later.

Obi Wan nodded. “The healers say that it is about four months old, give or take a few weeks.”

He answered, parroting back the information that he had been given by Master Che.

The council nodded at the information.

“We can assume that Dooku is the father of the child? We can only assume this due to the supposed prophecy he was trying to invoke into being.”

Master Windu noted as he sat forward in his chair and looked at Obi Wan.

“I can only come to the same conclusion as the council, due to the distinct Force signature of the child.”

Obi Wan found himself replying calmly, even though his insides roiled at the idea of Dooku doing that to his own former apprentice. He truly had fallen and fallen far, not just in his quest for power, but in his own moral code. He had defiled his own apprentice, someone who should have been as a daughter to him and for an obscure piece of lore that may or may not be true…

Obi Wan swallowed hard and quickly to dispel the nausea over what had been done to Qui Gon. He couldn’t fathom how someone could bring themselves to do such a despicable act.

“It would be an asset to the Order, this child of theirs.”

Obi Wan swallowed again as he weighed his answer.

“It would be...If Master Jinn does decide to continue with the pregnancy. It is ultimately her decision as to whether she wants to carry a child conceived out of rape.”

He flinched when he said the words, but it was only the truth. As much as he loved children and as much as Qui Gon herself was connected to the living force...He wasn’t going to presume that she’d want to keep a child that had been forced upon her. It would be cruel to speak for her wishes and then force her into an action that she didn’t want.

Even if she was compromised, he’d not take her agency in that event.

He owed her that much.

“Ask her, we will. When right time is. Master will Jinn remain. Dismissed.”

Obi Wan sketched a fast bow to Master Yoda and the council and waited for them to exit before he headed to his quarters.

He needed a shower after that council meeting.

~*~*~*~*~

Qui Gon lay on her side in her own sleeping couch. The blankets and pillows had multiplied and she had a suspicion that it was all Obi Wan’s doing. Or maybe Anakin and Shmi Skywalker, since they had somehow gotten more protective of her once the news of her condition had gotten out. She had wanted to be put out by the mothering, but found herself actually wanting it.

She wanted to blame her emotional shift on hormones, but knew it wasn’t just the chemicals coursing through her body. She herself craved it. After being kept in rooms and raped repeatedly by Tyranus and Maul, she found herself being pathetically grateful for the hovering that Obi Wan and the Skywalkers were doing.

They were the only ones who didn’t look at her with pity over what had happened to her. They also looked at her straight in the eye when they spoke to her.

They were also the only ones that didn’t look at her with the weight of expectation. She was fully aware of the potential of the child she carried. Born of two strong force users, the child was showing a definite Force signature. Whether it would inherit her affinity with the Living Force or the Unifying Force had yet to be seen, but an affinity it would have. 

She was well aware that time was in short supply and she needed to make a decision about the life she carried.

She had already made it. She just needed to let the council know. Obi Wan already had known after they had meditated together.

“I asked them for seven day cycles for you to think it over.I know it’s not a long time, Ma-”

She had waved off his stumble when he had come to visit her in the halls of healing after she had been taken out of bacta and had been admonished to rest.

“Call me Qui Gon, Obi Wan. We are more than equals now and I understand. Time is not a luxury that we have at this moment. I will endeavour to meditate on the matter.”

She looked down, her hair a curtain hiding her face when she spoke. Something she did more often now, she was well aware. She had found it a handy trick when Dooku would be particularly brutal and spiteful and her shielding was pitiful, to say the least.

It wasn't needed now that she was in the Temple and safe, but old habits were hard to break and Obi Wan's presence stirred feelings in her that she still needed to hide away from just then.

“Would you want to do it together?”

She bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons of such an intimate aid. She needed an anchor,  she had found in her last bungled attempt at meditation. She hadn’t fumbled so badly at finding her center since she was a youngling herself, her thoughts sunk in a million thoughts and memories. It had been a trial and she had shied away from it until now.

She needed him and despite the shame that coursed through her at needing so much help from Obi Wan and Shmi Skywalker, she wasn’t stupidly proud to accept help when it was given.

She raised her head and looked at Obi Wan and smiled softly before nodding.

He had clasped her hand lightly enough for her to not stiffen at the contact. She understood that she wasn’t going to be harmed, but the behaviour had become ingrained after Geonosia. Obi Wan, Force love him, had been quite understanding and had made it a point to telegraph his movements and keep his touches light, something that had helped ease those fears immensely.

She closed her eyes and focused, like she had told her padawans, like she had been taught to before and felt herself finally go into the flow of the Force. Like a warm bath, she was in it, surrounded and part of it yet again, tethered to Obi Wan’s bright blue presence instead of being swept away in the currents as she had been earlier.

She missed this oh so terribly! She gasped at her connection strengthening, healing, and being soothed by the living force. The Living Force, which she had always been able to find except for those horrible month cycles on Geonosia. Dooku had known how painful it was for her to be so cutoff from it. And yet he still collared her.

She felt the spasms of grief hitting her and then swirling away from her as Obi Wan’s solid presence kept her in the moment. She focused on him for a bit, noting the flare up of his signature and the brief glimpse of _protect, cherish, love,_ before she was back in the wonder of the force. She stayed there, contemplating her decisions when she saw it.

The small, just barely there presence of the child she had never expected to have. It was still too new, too unformed, but she could see it. Could feel it within the living force and could see it connected to her and to Obi Wan and all of the lines curling and shaping the force itself.

She pulled away from the Force, using Obi Wan as her compass and found herself looking into Obi Wan’s blue and grey eyes. He still held her hand and she let him as she looked into his eyes and knew what her decision would be.

Just like she knew what Obi Wan had become to her then.

And what she had become to him.

She could feel the subtle change between them, that small spark that they both had hidden for so long and she had to wonder if his affection would be unwelcome. She braced herself for anything to happen and she watched him as he pressed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

He let her go and excused himself when his comm beeped, leaving her be.

She had been allowed to go back to her quarters under the watchful eye of Shmi and Anakin, who took his assignation seriously and had been ensconced in bed since. She was fine. Probably better than she had been in a long time, but they still wanted her to rest.

She put her hand on the small bump and wondered what it would be like. If she would be allowed to visit the creche, or if that would be too much of an attachment. Or even if she would develop some attachment to it.

As it was, she didn’t feel anything of a maternal nature towards the child. Maybe later, but for now, she held it in the same regards as another life that was part of the life force. A life that she, as a Jedi Master, was sworn to protect.

Qui Gon moved to pull the covers over herself again, annoyed that her eyes were already closing with exhaustion.

She supposed it was better this way. She knew it would be harder for her to give up the child to the order if she did have any attachment to it.

~*~*~*~*~*

Obi Wan breathed out a sigh of relief as he exited the council chambers after giving his report. He had been following Dooku’s trail, but had found himself coming up again with nothing. The council had decided to end the mission and he was back at the Temple in Coruscant, trying to not be overly excited at being able to see Qui Gon again.

They had exchanged messages as he had been on his mission, but he wanted to be with her again. He had left her in good hands, trusting Master Che and Shmi Skywalker to keep an eye on her. Having Anakin start his basic training with her was also something to keep her busy and from dwelling overmuch on the pregnancy and the child.

Obi Wan faltered a bit as he thought about the child.

Despite her decision to not destroy a life needlessly, the toll of carrying the child was quite heavy upon her. She had been six cycles gone the last time that he had seen her and she had been quite ill and pale and uncomfortable.She hadn’t outright complained. She was too dignified for that.

Yet the way that she’d rub her back or awkwardly stood up after she had sat down and the drawn misery of her expression was enough to show him that she was reaching the limit of her patience. He had done as much as he could to ease her discomfort, such as getting her the Nabooian fruits she loved whenever she craved them and rubbing her back.

He would also be there for her whenever she would come back from her sessions with the mind healers. She didn’t speak, but she tended to need him near to ground herself. They weren’t sessions she liked to go to, but neither of them could deny that they were doing her much good. She didn’t flinch as much whenever he touched her and she had more control of her reactions whenever Anakin or any of the younglings in the canteen seemed to appear out of nowhere.

It wasn’t quite the same as being on the injured reserve, the situation being something new that they both needed to navigate through carefully. Physical Injuries could be sped up through trances and bacta. Pregnancy was simply something that she would have to endure for a little while yet.

He mentally tried to calculate what month she’d be in and came up with eight or so monthly cycles. He hadn’t missed the birth yet, he realised as he made his way to their shared quarters. He didn’t want for her to be alone as she went through that, which Shmi assured him was perfectly natural and usually not fatal.

As much faith as he had in the healing halls and the force, that phrasing caught him up short. Especially when applied to Qui Gon. He had lost her once. There was no way in hell he’d lose her again.

He hurried to their quarters, relieved that no one had thought to have him move to his own quarters now that he was a Knight in his own right. He supposed that it was more expedient to have Qui Gon as stable as possible since she was so close to giving birth. Or maybe it was a small way to make reparations for what she had gone through.

Being a Jedi was a thankless vocation sometimes and every Jedi was trained to expect death at any given moment.Or torture before that. Rape was seldom addressed and if it was, it would be in the vaguest terms possible. Obi Wan had suspected that had been the main reason why the council had simply let her be while turning a blind eye to Shmi and Obi Wan’s administrations.

He didn’t care, since it meant that the shifting relationship between them was flying under the radar. Their bond hadn’t been severed and Qui Gon herself made no indication that it would be. She had all but confessed how much it would hurt her if that were to happen. Their attachment was a sure thing and despite many meditations upon it, Obi Wan couldn’t bring himself to regret it or release it. Or think about anything beyond the present.

Everything was put on pause between them until the child was born and Obi Wan was fine with that.

He opened the doors and was stunned to find Shmi and Anakin sitting at the table with neglected tea cups in front of them. Clearly, they were waiting for him and he felt a small pang of fear. He quickly checked the bond he shared with Qui Gon and found it faint and weak, almost quiet.

He swallowed down his nervousness as he entered the room, closing the doors behind himself as he walked towards the Skywalkers.

“She’s in the halls of healing. She started her labour in the morning.”

Shmi told him, forestalling any questions he may have had as she stood up. She spoke quietly to Anakin, who nodded and got up to clean up the cups and the tea.

“I’ll take you to her.”

Obi Wan nodded, needing the moment to compose himself.

“Why didn’t anyone tell me? Did she keep it quiet?”

Shmi pursed her lips as they walked quickly to the healing halls.

“She didn’t want to worry you needlessly. She had some false alarms earlier.”

Obi Wan swallowed and Shmi smiled encouragingly.

“She will be fine. She is in good hands and now you are here. It will be fine.”

Obi Wan nodded, not trusting himself to speak. He didn’t want to be worried, but he couldn’t help it. Not after having lost her. He had promised and he was determined to keep it.

They entered the halls and headed to the room where he could sense Qui Gon labouring hard to bring forth the child.

He entered the room only to see her straining to push, her face red with effort and strands of loose hair sticking damply to her face. Her signature fluctuated and dimmed, making Obi Wan’s stomach tighten in fear. She was struggling, reaching out towards the Force to keep her going.

Obi Wan didn’t hesitate to send love and strength towards her in an effort to help her. Her eyes darkened as she looked at him, an expression of relief flitting across her face before she was at the mercy of another contraction so painful that Obi Wan felt the echoes of it through their bond.

Master Che barked some orders at her and she nodded, her gaze focusing inwards as she gathered up the rest of her energy and finally pushed.out the child.

Obi Wan felt the tears coursing down his face before he registered that he was feeling Qui Gon’s emotions through the bond as Master Che cleaned up the squalling infant before showing it to Qui Gon.

“A girl.”

Master Che informed them, handing it over to her apprentice healer before turning to make sure that Qui Gon was fine, despite the sheer exhaustion that had nearly knocked her out. She was at the end of her rope when she reached out to him.

It was only a whisper of a suggestion, but he was at her side, letting her cling onto him in a parallel of the time that he had found her.

He could hear and feel the surprise of Master Che and the other healer, but he didn’t care.

He only cared about Qui Gon.

~*~*~*~*~

Qui Gon and Obi Wan stood beside each other in front of the council for the first time what felt like years. It felt almost like old times, with him keeping a tight rein on his emotions and Qui Gon calm and relaxed as she waited for the outcome to unfold. Except that this time, it wasn’t just a report that they were giving.

No. They were there to hear what their fate would be: Whether they would remain Jedi, or be expelled from the order altogether.

Master Che had reported the events of the birth and as soon as she had healed enough to stand in front of the council. Obi Wan hated that she had been summoned so soon after, but understood why she hadn’t refused the summons. She needed the closure of the event.

And needed to know where she and Obi Wan stood now that their attachment had been discovered.

“Master Jinn, it is good to see you have recovered from your ordeal. Master Che told us that the child was healthy and is now in the creche.”

Qui Gon inclined her head in acknowledgement.

“That is correct, but I am quite positive that is not the only reason you have summoned myself and Obi Wan Kenobi.”

Qui Gon replied, her tone respectful, but still not enough to ease the pointed sting of her words.

Master Gallia was the one to cast her an irritated look.

“As always, you are correct. It is the matter of the attachment Master Che witnessed during your confinement.”

Qui Gon smiled, or rather, _smirked_ at the council.

“I was in labour for fifteen hours. Knight Kenobi was concerned for my health. I admit a moment of weakness where I reached out to him. I would like to know exactly how that would be construed as attachment.”

Obi Wan swallowed and hoped that he’d be able to smooth things over between Qui Gon and the council.

“Bond between you, there is.”

Obi Wan refused to let anything show on his face at the quiet statement from Master Yoda.

“Sever it, you must.”

“No.”

Qui Gon stiffened beside him, clearly not expecting her former padawan to be the one to defy the council.

“With all due respect, the bond was the only thing that helped us locate Master Jinn. It was the only thing that kept her sanity after the horrors she endured at the hands of her former Master and a Sith apprentice, who is still out there, biding his time and making his plans. So no, I am disinclined to sever it. Even if it goes against the council.”

Qui Gon couldn’t even hide her flinch at his words. Her ordeal was still healing. A tender wound she didn’t speak of outside of the mind healers. To have laid it out in the open made her vulnerable and exposed in a way that she’d never thought possible. She understood why Obi Wan spoke of it, but it didn’t ease the shame of being so revealed in front of her grandmaster and the rest of the council.

“Then it must fall to you, Master Jinn.”

Master Gallia stated.

Qui Gon shook her head, her dark brown and silvery hair swishing softly around her shoulders.

“No. I won’t break the attachment that saved me. I won’t betray Obi Wan again. I will accept the decision of the council, but I won’t sever our bond. I love him.”

It was Obi Wan’s turn to flinch at that. Never in a million cycles would he have thought that she’d ever admit to her feelings for him. It was one thing to feel them through their bond, but to hear her admit them out loud made him determined to stick by his earlier decision, come what may.

“Forbidden, attachment is. Condone it, we cannot.”

Qui Gon’s jaw clenched and Obi Wan held his breath.

“WIth your refusal, the council sees no other recourse but to expel you from the order. The tenet of no attachments is in place for a reason and you cannot serve the Order with it in place. Not even in the Corps could we have you.”

Master Windu informed them in a flat voice.

Qui Gon turned to look at Obi Wan, her eyes dark with emotion and her face drawn tight around her cheekbones.

_“Are you sure, Obi Wan? You don’t-”_

Obi Wan looked at her and gave her a slow nod.

_“I am. As sure as I have been of anything in my life.”_

~*~*~*~*~

They didn’t speak then. They only returned to their chambers, both of them silently glad that the Skywalkers had gone to their own quarters and moved to Obi Wan’s room.

Anakin had been upset when they had explained the situation and had wanted to follow them in their exile.

"I don't want to be a Jedi if you're both not here! I love both of you like I love my mom! Why is that wrong to love someone? I don't want to be part of something that thinks it's wrong to have that!"

He had stated, making Qui Gon and Obi Wan exchange pained looks with Shmi, who sighed heavily. 

"Ani-"

"No mom! I won't stay here if that's what they think!"

"Ani...If you're sure, I won't make you stay. The only thing that I ask is that you think it over for a day. Master Jinn and Master Kenobi will see us again. Think it over and if you feel that way again, then we will leave."

Shmi reasoned with her son who nodded, despite looking rebellious and dangerously close to tears as his fears were somewhat assuaged by his mother. Qui Gon herself knelt down in front of Anakin and spoke to him softly until he nodded again and flung himself into her arms. She held him, murmuring quiet nonsense to calm him down, while Obi Wan and Shmi hammered out some kind of rudimentary plan that involved Padme and Naboo. They continued speaking until Anakin had been properly reassured and Shmi took him to bed, both of them extracting a promise from Obi Wan and Qui Gon to not leave without letting them know.

They waited for a few moments, Obi Wan holding her hand and leaning against her until the tension between them that had been suppressed now finally had an outlet. Obi Wan felt as if electricity was flowing between them and he couldn't hold off anymore.

It was there that he looked at her, silently asking for her permission, which she gave with a quick nod.

He kissed her. Shyly and tenderly, almost a featherlight brush of lips as he pushed his robe off of his shoulders. Her lips parted as she received his kiss, letting his tongue explore her mouth. Obi Wan’s hands cupped her angular jaw as he deepened it.

He broke the kiss before he got carried away, not wanting to overwhelm her and looked into her eyes.

_“You won’t break me.”_

Obi Wan nodded before he slowly reached out and slowly pulled at her belts and tabards until her outer tunics opened. He pushed them off of her shoulders and let them pool around her legs. She did the same to him, both moving slowly until they were standing bare to each other.

He held out his hand to her and led her to the bed and lay down. She paused and looked down at him, taking in the creamy expanse of his skin.

_“Beautiful.”_

She breathed out reverently before she moved on top of him. She straddled him, her knees on either side of his hips. He was hard with desire as he looked up at his master, reverence in his eyes and his touch as he reached out to skim over her waist and hip and thigh.

He wanted her. Oh little gods, how much he wanted her!

_“You can have me.”_

She told him, moving above him, pressing herself down so he could feel how ready she was for him. She moved with the confidence of a wanted and cherished woman, but he still could feel the small undercurrent of hesitation in her movements. He wouldn’t push her though. He only waited for her to make the decisions.

Qui Gon moved her hips so that he was at her entrance. He held his breath, his eyes locked onto hers as she reached between them and guided him inside of her.

He moaned quietly one he was inside her, his lip nearly bitten through as he focused on not spilling right then and there. He forced himself to push the feeling away, getting himself under control until Qui Gon grabbed his shoulders, bracing herself as she started to move.

He grabbed her waist and let himself enjoy the rhythm she was setting, moving as if they had all of the time in the world to enjoy each other.

Their bond was open and their desire flowed between them, nothing was hidden between them. He couldn’t regret his decision. Not when he could finally see and consummate the feelings that had been hidden for so long between them.

“I love you.”

She breathed out, her voice soft as she spoke, the exertion making it breathier than her usual low, husky tones.

He groaned as she moved and all he could do was reach up and pull her down to give her a sloppy, but passionate quick kiss.

_“I love you too, Qui Gon. My Qui Gon.”_

She cried out, thin and high right after his hips had jerked up to meet hers, moving fast and without finesse as he came, his vision whiting out briefly as he did so.

Qui Gon collapsed onto him them, and he held her until the aftershocks passed.

He had her and he was never going to let her go. No one would ever take her from him ever again. He'd never allow it.

No matter where they went, he’d never let her go.

END.


End file.
